Distillate petroleum products and method of treating same



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DISTIIIILATE. PETROLEUM raonuc'rs AND 'METHOD orv TREATING SAME James B. Rather and Leslie 0. Beard, Jr., Brooklyn, and Orland M.

Reiif, Jackson Heights,

N. Y., assignors to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Original application November 26, 1926, Serial No. 151,005. Divided and this application May 23, 1933, Serial No. 672,513 g 7 h I 11 Claims.

This application is a division of our copending application issued as Patent No. 1,909,985.

This. invention relates to distillate petroleum products and to method of treating same to prevent spontaneous discoloration and formation of odor' therein.

It is well recognized that the distributors and consumers :of kerosene and gasoline insist that these products be clear and free from discoloration and odor as an entirely distinct and separate matter from the actual capabilities and usefulness of the products for the ordinary uses for which they' are intended. Itis also well recognized that kerosene and gasoline spontaneously inexpensive method of producing a distillate pe-' troleum product having the characteristics" and qualities referred to. a 7

Other objects of this invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In accordance with this invention, the im- 30 .proved product consists of a petroleum distillate,

anotably kerosene and gasoline, containing a' negativeoxidation catalyst. The galy V If the distillate requires to be sweetened either before or after treatment with the catalyst, the catalyst should be of a nature such that it will not react with sodiumplumbite.

The following substances and classes of. sub- 5 stances are mentioned as suitable for the treatment above described:

Aliphatic alcohols; for instance, a butyl alcohol.. i I

Aromatic alcohols; for instance, benzyl alcol0 hol. l Aromatic aldehydes; for instance, benzyl aldehyde.

Aromatic amines, for instance, alpha .naph- 'thylamine, para phenylenediamine and phenyll6 hydrazine. Y

Substituted phenols and polyphenols; for in-' stance, cresol and hydroquinone.

Ureas and ,urea derivatives; for instance, urea and thiourea l Alkaloids; for instance, brucine and nicotine.

For the practice of this invention we prefer to 11565800116211? a y butyl alcohol alone or in admixture with hydroquinone or brucine. In the latter case a saturated solution of hygr quln'one or brucine in secondary or tertiary butyl alc ol'iol"is used, the secondary or tertiary butyl alcohol serving to facilitate the solution of the -hydroquinone or brucine in the oil. The amounts of secondary or tertiary butyl alcohol, or of the saturated solution of hydroquinone or brucine in secondary or tertiary butyl alcohol, may vary pe added in the still during distillatio, placed from 1 part m5 thousand to 1 part in 50 thouiri't he cond'h's'f' 'fiwlifcftlifiimte is condensed, or the catalyst may be added to the distillate after removal from the condenser, it being advisable, however, to add the catalyst before any appreciable quantity Ofatmospheric oxygen has been taken up by the distillate, be- 0 cause such oxygen isapt to cause the formation promote the addition of further oxyg n and may ,tend to oifset anyadvantage to be gained by the subsequent addition of they negative oxidation catalyst. These objectionable substances; while frequently colorless and odorless, are apt to undergo change resulting in the development of objectionable color and odor. I

The negative oxidation catalyst or catalysts should be of such nature that when added to kerosene or gasoline in sufficient quantities for the purpose they do not affect the color and odor, or.materia1ly increase the cost of production, since such effects would raise commercial objections to the-precinct.

in the distillate of substances which are apt to sand, depending upon the amount of stabilization desired, the character of the distillate, i. e., its susceptibility to oxidation, and the storage temperature.

Any of the above mentioned substances are suitable either alone or in combination with others. It is never required to add more than 0.02% tothe. kerosene or gasoline, andthe amount may be as small as 1 part negative catalyzer to 500 thousand parts oil. I I

It will be apparent from the above that this invention is directed primarily to preventing discoloration and formation of odor in the lighter petroleum distillates, notably those of A. P. I. gravity higher than 37 degrees, and particularly kerosene and gasoline. Consumers-and distrlbu-' tors of these products require that they be clear 50 and vfree from discoloration and objectionable odor without considering the question of. serviceability for the use intended.

Kerosene and gasoline; however, must be maintained comparatively inexpensive in order to sat- 5| isfactorily cope with commercial competition, and therefore any treatment must be such that the cost of production is not increased a prohibiv tive amount. Applicants method satisfactorily meets this delicate situation since the amounts of negative catalyst the treatment requires are so small that increase in the cost of manufacture and price to the consumer is negligible. At the same time the treated kerosene and gasoline is capable of being stored and handled without danger of its becoming discolored or odorous.

It is understood that this invention isnot intended to be limited to the precise substances mentioned specifically, nor to the exact proportions stated, since applicants have described merely certain possible applications of the invention which are preferred at this time.

We claim:

1. The method of stabilizing the characteris-- tics of a low boiling light colored distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene that normally tends to develop objectionable products of oxidation during storage, which comprises adding thereto a small quantity of an 5 aryl amine of the class consisting of alpha naphthylamine and phenyl hydrazine sufiicient sub- 3. A motor fuel containing unsaturated hydrocarbons tending to oxidize to form objectionable products and containing as a stabilizing agent .0002 to .02% alpha naphthylamine.

4. A low boiling substantially stable distillate petroleum product of the class of. gasoline or kerosene, which comprises a low boiling distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene that has the property of developing an objectionable product of oxidation during storage,

0 said petroleum product having added thereto, as

anaddition agent incorporated into the said product which normally does not contain said agent, a small quantity of a naphthylamine sufiiclent in amount substantially to retard the formation of said objectionable product of oxidation.

5. A low boiling substantially stable distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene, which comprises a low boiling distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosenethat has the property of developing an objectionable product of oxidation during storage, said petroleum product having added there- -to, as an addition agent incorporated into the said product which normally does not contain said agent, a small quantity of nuclear aminosubstituted condensed-ring aromatic compound sufiicient in amount substantially to retard the formation of said objectionable product oi. oxidation.

6. A low boiling substantially stable distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene, which comprises a low boiling distillate petroleum product of the class of. gasoline or kerosene that has the property of developing an objectionable product of oxidation during storage, said petroleum product having added thereto, as an addition agent incorporated into the said product which normally does not-contain said agent, a small quantity of alpha naphthylamine sufficient in amount substantially to retard the formation of said objectionable product of oxidation. I

7. A substantiallycolor stable petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene, which comprises a low boiling distillate. petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene which is initially clear and free from discoloration but which has the property of becoming discolored during storage, said color unstable'product having added thereto alpha naphthylamine in small proportion but sufiicient substantially to stabilize said product against color deterioration under the usual conditions of storage.

8. The method of stabilizing the characteristics of a low boiling light colored distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene that normally tends to develop objectionable products of oxidation during storage,

normallyiending to develop objectionable oxidation" products during storage having added thereto, as an addition agent incorporated into v the said product which normally does not contain said agent, a small quantity of alphanaphthylamine sufiicient in amount substantially to retard the formation of saidobjectionable products of oxidation.

10. The method of stabilizingthe character-. istics of a low boiling light colored distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline or kerosene that normally tends to develop objectionable products of oxidation during storage, which comprises adding tli'ereto a small quantity of phenylhydrazine suflicient substantially to retard the formation of said objectionable products of oxidation.

11. A low boiling light colored hydrocarbon fuel product of the class of gasoline or kerosene normally tending to develop objectionable oxidation products during storage having added thereto, as an addition agent incorporated into the said product which normally does not contain said agent, a small quantity of phenylhydrazine sufllcient in amount substantially to retard the formation of said objectionable products of oxidation.

JAMES B. RATHER.

" flLESLIE-C. BEARD, JR. ORLANDM. REIFF. 

